Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)

After New York City receives a series of attacks from giant flying robots, a reporter teams up with a pilot in search of their origin, as well as the reason for the disappearances of famous scientists around the world.

Director:

Kerry Conran

Writer:

Kerry Conran

Stars:

Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Angelina Jolie

8 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Polly Perkins
Jude Law	...	Sky Captain
Giovanni Ribisi	...	Dex
Michael Gambon	...	Editor Paley
Bai Ling	...	Mysterious Woman
Omid Djalili	...	Kaji
Laurence Olivier	...	Dr. Totenkopf (archive footage) (as Sir Laurence Olivier)
Angelina Jolie	...	Franky
Trevor Baxter	...	Dr. Jennings
Julian Curry	...	Dr. Vargas
Peter Law	...	Dr. Kessler
Jon Rumney	...	German Scientist
Khan Bonfils	...	Creepy
Samta Gyatso	...	Scary
Louis Hilyer	...	Executive Officer

Storyline

In 1939, an intrepid reporter in New York City makes a connection between the story she's covering, of famous scientists suddenly disappearing around the world, and a recent attack on the city by giant robots. Determined to find the solution to these happenings, she seeks the help of her ex-boyfriend, the Captain of a mercenary legion of pilots. The two are investigating the case when the robots attack the city again, though in a stroke of luck, Sky Captain Harry Joseph "Joe" Sullivan's right-hand man Dex (Giovanni Ribisi) is able to locate their source. They then set off on an adventure in search of the evil mastermind behind these schemes, who is bent on creating a utopia and destroying the current world.

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Plot Keywords:

steampunk | reporter | dieselpunk | mechanical monster | shangri la | 

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Taglines:

The world will tremble this September!

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sequences of stylized sci-fi violence and brief mild language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sky Captain flies a late-model P-40, the six gun version of the P-40N. However, his has a few "Hollywoodifications": - The rear decking behind the pilot's seat, and the fuselage fuel tank under it, were removed in order to add a second seat (for Polly). This was actually done to some real P-40s for flight instruction. - The pop-open bays for the cable launcher and magnet bombs are right in the middle of the centerline fuel tank (which fills the interior of the wing between the main wheel wells). - The small underwater engines under the horizontal stabilizers would retract right into the tail wheel gear well, and into each other. - When going into underwater mode, the ostensibly solid-metal propeller blades collapse down into the prop spinner, and into a different section of space-time. The real plane's prop spinner is a shell that goes around the collars and gearing of the prop hub assembly. - Roughly five thousand horsepower appears to have been added to the one thousand two hundred horsepower Allison engine.

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Goofs

When Joe's plane runs out of fuel, the first thing he does is lower the landing gear, which is literally the last thing he would do, as it would greatly reduce his glide ratio. Even an inexperience pilot (let alone a "Sky Captain") in that situation would wait until the last moment to lower the gear.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hindenburg announcer: Attention. Please prepare for docking procedure.

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Crazy Credits

The film's title is written in the sky, in large, steel letters extruding from the clouds at an angle. The opening credits are shown against a backdrop of an extreme close-up of the letters, and when it comes time for the title to show, the camera zooms out.

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Connections

References Castle in the Sky (1986)

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Soundtracks

Over the Rainbow
Written by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen
Performed by Jane Monheit
Used by permission of EMI Feist Catalog Inc.
Jane Monheit appears courtesy of Sony Classical

User Reviews

Visually stunning and clever

I'll be the first to admit it. I went into 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' with a lot of trepidation and even loathing. I didn't like the direction that cinema was taking with this film, featuring a backdrop that was mostly digital, because being a film purist, I used to relish the feel of actual celluloid in my hands, so this 'fake' creation was disturbing. I am still wary of this possible trend, but after seeing 'Sky Captain', I found that art can be realized in this medium.

'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' not only boasts one of the longest film titles in recent months, but a great cast: Jude Law as Joe 'Sky Captain' Sullivan, our hero, Gwyneth Paltrow as Polly Perkins, our intrepid reporter and Sullivan's former flame and Angelina Jolie as Capt. Franky Cook, a friend and ally of Joe's. There is an evil element threatening the Earth, and it is up to Joe and Polly to find out who is behind the threat, before Earth is destroyed.

One line is all it really takes to sum up the story, which is generally all it took to summarize the films 'Sky Captain' pays homage to. The story is good, and it certainly boasts one of the most entertaining endings that I can remember in recent years, but it is the presentation that is the biggest draw with 'Sky Captain'. The overall style is 1930's Art Deco mixed with bits of Neo-Futurism. The robots in the first half hour of the film look like something out of comic book, the clothes and character styles are most certainly inspired by the 1930's, and the backdrops and locations are very Deco. It's obvious that one of the advantages in producing a film in this manner is that the filmmaker can be as elaborate in design as possible, because the 'set design' was very rich and exciting.

As a lover of classic film, I found the numerous nods to the films of the 30's very refreshing. Several scenes or lines could have been construed as corny, but I found them to be presented with a giant wink at the audience. Because all of these aforementioned elements were done so well, this film was a huge success in my opinion. And despite my concerns (which are still prevalent in my mind) I can sincerely rave about and recommend 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' to just about anyone who appreciates both art and good entertainment.

--Shel

Details

Country:

USA UK Italy

Language:

English Tibetan German

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The World of Tomorrow

Filming Locations:

Cardington, Bedfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,580,278, 19 September 2004

Gross USA:

$37,762,677

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$57,947,036

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Brooklyn Films II, Riff Raff Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1